Odonates: Dragonflies and Damselflies

The First Annual (2004) Hamilton Odonate Count

by Carl Rothfels

Reprinted from the October, 2004 issue of The Wood Duck

The first annual Hamilton Odonate Count, held on July 11, 2004, was a great success. Eighteen people, divided into five teams, spent a fantastic day in the field, and when the results were tallied, we recorded a surprising 50 species!

The Hamilton Odonate Count is part of an increasing variety of insect counts, modeled after the popular Christmas Bird Counts. These counts seek to document the diversity and abundance of particular organisms - in this case, dragonflies and damselflies - within a given 15-mile diameter circle on a single day each year. By so doing, these counts give a picture of the local diversity year after year, and provide a unique educational opportunity for getting people involved in an activity they might otherwise have passed by.

In the case of odonates, these benefits are particularly important since many naturalists are not familiar with these beautiful and (usually) easy to identify insects, and also because odonates can be important indicators of habitat health.

For the Hamilton Odonate Count, we choose the same circle as previously established for the Hamilton Butterfly Count. This circle, centred on Kirkwall in Flamborough, reaches into Wellington, Waterloo, and Brant Counties, and encompasses some particularly good odonate habitat, including large stretches of Spencer Creek, Valens Reservoir, Mill Creek, Puslinch Bog, and Crief Bog.

Our day's total of 50 species is a testament to the quality of these habitats. To put this result in perspective, the Algonquin Park Odonate Count (which is Ontario's oldest, attracting some of the most experienced odonate counters in the province, and is in an area full of excellent aquatic habitats) averages 49 species per year. Prior to this year, I would never have thought that Hamilton, with our general lack of cold, clean, fast moving waters, would be able to beat that average. Another way to put this result in perspective is to consider that, up to 2000, only 37 odonate species had been recorded for the entire Hamilton/Wentworth Region, and we found 50 in one day!

Highlights: We found an impressive diversity of odonates, including southern species like the red-winged Hetaerina americana (American Rubyspot), the tiny wasp-like Perithemis tenera (Eastern Amberwing), Argia apicalis (Blue-fronted Dancer), and Enallagma anna (River Bluet), locally-rare northern species like Chromagrion conditum (Aurora Damsel), Libellula julia (Chalk-fronted Skimmer), Nehalennia gracilis (Sphagnum Sprite - never common anywhere in the province, and extremely rare this far south), and Leucorrhinia proxima (Red-waisted Whiteface) and such generally scarce species as Arigomphus villosipes (Unicorn Clubtail), Enallagma aspersum (Azure Bluet), and the elegant Lestes vigilax (Swamp Spreadwing). It is difficult to imagine another area in Ontario that could duplicate this particular variety of odonates.

The best find of the day was likely the Dorocordulia libera (Racquet-tailed Emerald) at Valens Reservoir; it's the first time this metallic green-black thread-waisted emerald has been recorded in Hamilton (BW, BC, ES.) Other new regional records include Enallagma carunculatum (Tule Bluet), Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet), Enallagma hageni (Hagen's Bluet), and Enallagma signatum (Orange Bluet) all new for Wellington County (CJR, KB, GB, JB, MTJ), and Ischnura posita (Fragile Forktail) new for Waterloo Region (CJR, MTJ, JB). While not new regional records, both Leucorrhinia glacialis (Crimson-ringed Whiteface) and Leucorrhinia proxima (Red-waisted Whiteface) may be new for the Hamilton Study Area ( RC, RA, MP, NP, GS - they have been recorded from further north in Wellington County).

Alan Wormington found Arigomphus furcifer (Lilypad Clubtail), new for Wellington County, on the day before (during the Hamilton Butterfly Count); we found it again on the Odonate Count by Little Lake, on the northeast side of Puslinch Lake (CJR, JB, MTJ). Its close relative, Arigomphus villosipes (Unicorn Clubtail), was another highlight. It's a provincially rare species whose Ontario population seems to be concentrated in the Hamilton Study Area. We found it twice during the count, once new for Waterloo Region (CJR, MTJ, JB) and at a new location along Spencer Creek ( RC, RA, MP, NP, GS).

We also found a provincially rare damselfly: Enallagma anna , the River Bluet. It was first discovered new for Ontario in 1998; we found it during the Count at two locations, one of them a new location in Hamilton (GL, JLS, IV, MF) and the second a first record for Waterloo Region (CJR, MTJ, JB).

Participants: Richard Aaron (RA), Glenn Barrett (GB), Kim Barrett (KB), Jerry Bloom (JB), Barb Charlton (BC), Bob Curry (RC), Marianne Fletcher (MF), Marc Johnson (MTJ), Bill Lamond (BL), Gordon Lewer (GL), Norm Pomfret (NP), Mary Pomfret (MP), Carl Rothfels (CJR), Elaine Serena (ES), Jenifer Sylvester (JLS), Glenda Slessor (GS), Ian Vaithlingam (IV), Brian Wylie (BW).

References: Regional statuses were determined by consulting the lists in Catling and Brownell's Ontario Odonate Resource Guide (2000), and by including more recent records with which I am familiar (but there could be post-2000 records that I've missed).

Species		Team 1	Team 2	Team 3	Team 4	Team 5	Total
Broad-winged Damsel Family
Calopteryx aequabile	River Jewelwing		4	30	4		38
Calopteryx maculata	Ebony Jewelwing	4	186	45	392		627
Hetaerina americana	American Rubyspot				46		46
Spread-winged Damsel Family
Lestes disjunctus (cf)	Common Spreadwing		21				21
Lestes dryas	Emerald Spreadwing	25	30	20	1	2	78
Lestes rectangularis	Slender Spreadwing	12	5				17
Lestes unguiculatus	Lyre-tipped Spreadwing		9	60		30	99
Lestes vigilax	Swamp Spreadwing		4				4
Pond Damsel Family
Amphiagrion saucium	Eastern Red Damsel			8			8
Argia apicalis	Blue-fronted Dancer			1			1
Argia fumipenis	Variable Dancer		18	40	21		79
Argia moesta	Powdered Dancer				11		11
Chromagrion conditum	Aurora Damsel		1				1
Enallagma anna	River Bluet		4		7		11
Enallagma aspersum	Azure Bluet			10			10
Enallagma carunculatum	Tule Bluet		2				2
Enallagma civile	Familiar Bluet		151		4		155
Enallagma ebrium	Marsh Bluet	500	14	130	47	10	701
Enallagma exsulans	Stream Bluet				25		25
Enallagma geminatum	Skimming Bluet				12		12
Enallagma hageni	Hagen's Bluet		43				43
Enallagma signatum	Orange Bluet		302	12	32		346
Ischnura posita	Fragile Forktail		12		16		28
Ischnura verticalis	Eastern Forktail	30	48	33	124	16	251
Nehalennia gracilis	Sphagnum Sprite			2			2
Nehalennia irene	Sedge Sprite	1	2	30			33
Darner Family
Aeshna canadensis (cf)	Canada Darner	1					1
Aeshna interrupta	Variable Darner						CW
Aeshna umbrosa	Shadow Darner						CW
Anax junius	Common Green Darner	21	35	10	8	7	81
Clubtail Family
Arigomphus furcifer	Lilypad Clubtail		2				2
Arigomphus villosipes	Unicorn Clubtail		1	1			2
Emerald Family
Dorocordulia libera	Raquet-tailed Emerald	1					1
Epitheca cynosura	Common Baskettail	1	4				5
Epitheca princeps	Prince Baskettail		4				4
Skimmer Family
Celithemis elisa	Calico Pennant		4	1		1	6
Celithemis eponina	Halloween Pennant	1	2				3
Erthemis simplicicollis	Eastern Pondhawk		6			5	11
Leucorrhinia glacialis	Crimson-ringed Whiteface			2			2
Leucorrhinia intacta	Dot-tailed Whiteface	54	181	9	4	20	268
Leucorrhinia proxima	Red-waisted Whiteface			6			6
Libellula julia	Chalk-fronted Skimmer		1				1
Libellula luctuosa	Widow Skimmer	50	42	20	10	36	158
Libellula lydia	Common Whitetail	3	16	34	16	4	73
Libellula pulchella	Twelve-spotted Skimmer	11	19	18	7	26	81
Libellula quadrimaculata	Four-spotted Skimmer	4	77	8			89
Pachydiplax longipennis	Blue Dasher	12	82	52	1	1	148
Perithemis tenera	Eastern Amberwing					1	1
Sympetrum internum	Cherry-faced Meadowhawk	5	7		1		13
Sympetrum obtrusum	White-faced Meadowhawk	6	21		3	7	37
Sympetrum rubicundulum	Ruby Meadowhawk	4		2	3	5	14
Tramea lacerata	Black Saddlebags		6	1			7
Lestes sp.	Spreadwing species	18	337				355
Enallagma sp.	Bluet species	670	376	7			1053
Ischnura sp.	Forktail species		20				20
Epitheca sp.	Baskettail species		1			3	4
Sympetrum sp.	Meadowhawk species	147	99	200	32	54	532
Total Species:		20	36	26	23	15	50
Total Species including Count Week:							52
Total Individuals Identified:		746	1366	585	795	171	3663
Total Individuals Seen:		1581	2199	792	827	228	5627

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